Saha, Santosh C. (Ed.), Perspectives on Contemporary Ethnic Conflict (Book Review‪)‬

Saha, Santosh C. (ed.), Perspectives on Contemporary Ethnic Conflict. Lanham, MD: Lexington Books, 2006. 344 pp. Theoretically, many students of political ethnicity contend that the politicization of ethnicity that is often made more severe by the particularistic tendencies of ethno-nationalism-i.e., the love for one's ethnic group are major causes of conflict in many polities. (1) Moreover, Okwudiba Nnoli has noted that "exclusiveness is an attribute of ethnicity. Ingroup-outgroup boundaries emerge with it and, in time, become marked, more distinct than before, and jealously guarded by the various groups?" (2) Hutchinson and Smith assert that "ethnic community and identity are often associated with conflict, and more particularly political struggles in various parts of the world. We should observe, however, that there is no necessary connection between ethnicity and conflict." (3) Also, academics contend that nationalistic, and increasingly ethno-nationalistic, conflicts are among the most important security problems in the world both in the past and today. (4) In fact, it is against the backdrop of the preceding brief analyses that this book, Perspectives on Contemporary Ethnic Conflict, might be visualized.